French Words You Already Know In English

French menus need not be a mystery. You already know many French words.

French flag

B

ballet

banquette

bête noire 

bon - good, used in bonjour, good day, bonsoir, good evening, and bon-bon the sweet

boulevard

bouquet

brasserie - eatery

brassiere - bra, item of women's clothing also called soutien gorge which means lift neck which is a euphemism or polite word

C

cafe

cafetiere

centre - centre

chauffeur

coiffeur

corps - body, corps de ballet

croissant

E

entrepreneur - person who starts businesses and enterprises, entre-enter - prener to take

et - and , as in son et lumiere

fumer - to smoke, as in pas de fumer, no smoking, no fumes. De means of. ne - pas is no.

L

lait - milk, cafe au lait is coffee with milk, au is at 

lumiere, as in son et lumiere, light

M

madame - madam

matinee - afternoon performance, matin is morning

menu - le menu is the menu

mortgage - literally dead hand

moulin - mill or windmill as in Moulin Rouge, red windmill, a London landmark

N

naive

ne - no, don't 

noir - black, as in film noir which is a gloomy or sad film

Nom de plume - pen name, literally name of pen

P

President

R

r.s.v.p respondeez s'il vous plait - reply /respond please, literally if (it) you please

regrette - regret, as in the Edith Piaf song, je ne regrette rien, I don't regret nothing (anything) 

renaissance - rebirth, art era, newspaper name

republique - republic (newspaper name and street name)

Restaurant

Reunion - meeting

rouge - red, as in the cosmetic, also as in moulin rouge, red windmill, adjective second after the noun

S

servis - service, as in servis compris means service included

son et lumiere - sound and light

suave

T

train - train (written the same way, pronounced tran, just the same without the letter i)

V

Ville - town, centre ville means centre of the town

W

W le weekend - the weekend - le is the, weekend is an English word which pops up in conversational French

Useful Websites For Spelling & Meaning & Inserting Accents

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bete-noire

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